Correlation is not causation.
Stated and revealed preferences are not the same thing.
Just because people are buying less doesn’t mean they’ve embraced degrowth or its ideals. It might well mean they are cursing the same.
Reduced spending could be just as much a symptom of limited choices under scarcity (indeed it’s the logical conclusion) as of a values choice (which might make a nice trend deck “insight” with enough squinting through rose tinted glasses).
Degrowth as an effect and as a cause are two entirely different things (and no the “#deinfluencing” trend on TikTok isn’t about buying less, it’s about influencers selling *themselves* and sponsored products over in sponsored ones - if you’ve taken the time to watch the clips. Same with teenage “thrifting” influences whos closets hold more stuff than I’ve owned in close on 4 decades. Look, don’t just listen if you want to be a useful analyst or futurist. Watch the whole picture not just the pretty parts.
The line in the linked signal source video that says “ironically this trend is growing during a cost of living crisis” rather let’s the cat out the bag and into cold water on this one.
But over to you.
Your thoughts?
What stories are we observing - and which ones are we *selling*?
How can / do we fiddle facts to fit our favourite narratives?
And where do we let empathy be trampled over by ideology?
Tell us.
Read more:
Mighty conveniently timed cost of living crisis that :
The future is not for sale : https://futureslens.substack.com/p/sorry-but-this-is-not-a-trend-report?r=bf2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Share this post